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Meet Our Team
We’re proud to have a team of loyal professionals dedicated to enhancing our clients’ quality of life. With more than 50 years of combined experience for a variety of Client Types, our firm specializes in Retirement Planning for Individuals, Families, Business Owners & Professionals delivering the proven experience to help you navigate your wealth with confidence. Our goal is to help give you peace of mind that a trusted, capable team is taking care of your financial world so you can enjoy everything.
"Providing individuals, families and businesses with life insurance, financial
products and services that meet their needs is my desire." -Daryl Ellis
As a wealth manager and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Daryl helps clients ascertain
their specific objectives and goals and what they need to accomplish them, then works
with them to create a corresponding financial plan. He believes an effective
distribution strategy is key to a prosperous and stress-free retirement, and once
clients have a foundational plan in place, he helps them identify the most effective
ways to use their resources in retirement. He strives to be proactive in his work, and
his favorite words to hear from a client are, “I was just about to call you!” He
prides himself in identifying issues before they arise and staying on top of both
financial industry trends and his clients’ personal financial worlds.
Daryl joined the New York Life family as an agent in 1995, following his father’s
footsteps and his own desire to help others. He quickly established himself as a
student of the industry and has received multiple awards and recognitions for his
work. He is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL
PLANNER™, and a Louisiana State alumnus. He is also a registered representative for
NYLIFE Securities, LLC. Daryl Ellis is also a member agent of The Nautilus
Group®*, a resource for estate conservation and business succession ideas
available to a select group of New York Life agents nationwide.
With offices in Dallas, Texas, The Nautilus Group® is staffed by
professionals with credentials in law, taxation, accounting, insurance and finance.
Utilizing information provided by the members' clients, they provide strategies for
consideration by the client's own legal and tax advisors. The work of The Nautilus
Group® revolves around estate conservation and business succession. Neither
members nor staff of The Nautilus Group may give legal or tax advice. Their role is to
educate and motivate affluent individuals to address the planning issues that will
affect them and their families far into the future.
2022, Daryl Ellis was named as one of Forbes’ Best-in-State Financial
Security Professionals Certificant
CFP® Certificant
CAP® Certificant
2001 thru Present Qualifying Member Million Dollar Round
Table*
LSU Alumni with a BA in Economics
Financial Planning Association
Baton Rouge Area Foundation Profession Advisors Council- 2022
Chairman’s Council Member- 2021
President’s Council Member- 2020
National Quality Award Recipient
2013 Recipient of the Best Dressed Benefiting the American Cancer Society
Daryl Ellis is also a member agent of The Nautilus Group®*, a
resource for estate conservation and business succession ideas available to
a select group of New York Life agents nationwide.
Community & Industry Involvement
Steering Committee Member – Heritage Ranch
Board Member – Good Fellows-Good Samaritans
Past-President of the NAIFA-Baton Rouge
Past-President of the NAIFA-Louisiana
Past-President of the Financial Planning Association-Baton Rouge
Past-President of the Sunrise Rotary Club of Baton Rouge
Past-President of the Estate & Business Planning Council
St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church
Sunrise Rotary Club Member
Member of the Mystic Krewe of Achilles
Past-President of the Baton Rouge Association of Insurance & Financial
Advisors
Personal
Outside of work, Daryl enjoys exercising, and unless he’s out of town, he never
misses his morning gym session. He’s especially dedicated to this aspect of his
routine because in addition to keeping him physically fit, it helps him start his
day with intention and focus. He and his wife Tiffany have been married for nine
years, and they enjoy traveling together. Daryl also loves spending time with his
adult daughter Emory, who lives in Canada. He is currently part of the steering
committee for Heritage Ranch, a Christian organization that counsels and supports
families in crisis; he is also a board member of Good Fellow-Good Samaritans in
Baton Rouge, a program that helps provide clothing and toys to children in need.
Personal Life
Fun Facts About Daryl
What book has significantly influenced you?
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and Atomic Habits by James Clear. The two books go
hand-in-hand; they’re about pushing yourself a little bit more and developing
good habits that last a lifetime, and that’s something I’m adamant about. Even
when everything shut down in 2020, I kept getting up at 3:25AM and going for a
run.
If you could eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it
be?
That’s hard! I’d have to say fried speckled trout with French fries and
hushpuppies—they don’t come with calories, so why not?
What’s the best way to spend a free Saturday?
I like to chill around the house, get caught up on reading magazines, cook
(mostly on the grill)—basically, just taking it easy!
What should everyone do at least once before they die?
Ride a motorcycle!
Coffee or tea?
Tea—Twinings® English Breakfast, but I don’t have my first cup until
around 8:00AM.
*The Premier Association of Financial Professionals,
is recognized globally as the standard of excellence for life insurance sales
performance in the insurance and financial services industry.
Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Data as of 12/31/23.
Source: Forbes.com (July, 2024).
Neither SHOOK nor Forbes receives any compensation in exchange
for placement on its Top Financial Security Professional (FSP) rankings (including the
Best-In-State Financial Security Professional rankings), which are determined
independently (see methodology). FSP refers to professionals who are properly licensed
to sell life insurance and annuities. FSPs may also hold other credentials and
licenses which would allow them to offer investments and securities products through
those licenses. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures learned through
telephone, virtual, and in-person interviews to measure best practices, client
retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm
nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as assets under management, sales
figures, and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a
criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and these professionals
rarely have audited performance reports. Individuals must carefully choose the right
FSP for their own situation and perform their own due diligence. SHOOK’s research and
rankings provide opinions intended to help individuals choose the right FSP and are
not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience.
Past performance is not an indication of future results. For more information, please
see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of
SHOOK Research, LLC.
“Gaining your trust and confidence is my task. Keeping you, the client, satisfied
with service and personal attention is my goal.” -Gordon Ellis
Gordon is a highly trained, fully qualified professional in the field of insurance
and financial services, and has represented New York Life as an agent for over 42
years.. He is recognized as a leader in the industry. Gordon was recently honored as
the Baton Rouge Association of Life Underwriters 'Man of the Year.
Awards, Designations & Education
Chartered Financial Consultant ®
Chartered Life Underwriter ®
Registered Representative NYLIFE Securities LLC.
National Quality Award, last 36 years
Life and Qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table** for 39
years
Chairman's Council Agent in 2009
Community & Industry Involvement
Sunrise Rotary Club
Estate and Business Planning Council of Baton Rouge
Society of Financial Service Professionals
Friends of LSU's School of Music
Foundation for Historical Louisiana
Mystic Krewe of Achilles Mardi Gras Ball
*The Premier Association of Financial Professionals,
is recognized globally as the standard of excellence for life insurance sales
performance in the insurance and financial services industry.
Kellie began her employment with Daryl Ellis in the fall of 2006. As the Director of
Operations, Kellie’s job is to ensure the business is running smoothly and that we are
providing our clients with a level of service that surpasses their expectations.
Kellie is responsible for coordinating functions within the financial planning team
from your initial meeting, implementation of your plan, and coordination of your
reviews. She holds her Life, Health, & Accident License and Series 6, 63 and 65
registrations. Kellie is also a Notary Public in Louisiana.
Ann joined the team at Ellis Insurance & Financial Group in March 2008. She
provides direct support to both Daryl and Gordon by overseeing client relationships
and ensuring that clients receive a superior level of service. She attended Louisiana
State University majoring in English with a minor in Fine Arts. She obtained her Life,
Health and Accident Insurance License in the State of Louisiana in December 2012 and
was approved as a Licensed Service Assistant in April, 2013. She was recently
appointed Director of Client Services for our group.
Audrey was born and raised in Baton Rouge and is a proud graduate of Parkview Baptist High School. She continued her education and softball career at Southeastern Louisiana University, completing five years of study. In December 2023, Audrey earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus on Business and Marketing. She joined Ellis Financial in 2024 and has been thriving ever since, contributing her skills and dedication to the team.
